Houston won the TV award in 1986 for her performance of "Saving All My Love for You" during the Grammy ceremony.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal court, saying the sale would violate academy rules.

Remembering Whitney Houston

In its lawsuit, the academy says Houston won her trophy when the Emmys carried a label stipulating they were academy property and that an heir seeking to dispose of an award must return it to the academy for storage in "memory of the recipient."

The lawsuit, which includes copyright infringement among its allegations, asks for a court order returning Houston's statuette to the academy and seeks a jury trial for unspecified damages.